Tylor, Sir Edward Burnett, 1832–1917, English anthropologist. His extensive researches helped to develop interest in anthropological science in England. Tylor became (1883) keeper of the University Museum at Oxford and was professor of anthropology there from 1896 to 1909. His work on the mentality of primitive peoples, and especially on animism, made an important contribution to the study of primitive religion. Tylor's pioneering book, Anthropology (1881, abr. ed. 1960), is still essentially modern in its cultural theories and concepts. His other works include Researches into the Early History of Mankind (1865) and Primitive Culture (1871, repr. 1958).

Bibliography

See study by R. R. Marett (1936).

Tylor, Sir Edward Burnett

Tylor, detail of a chalk drawing by G. Bonavia; in the National Portrait Gallery, London

(credit: Courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery, London)

(born Oct. 2, 1832, London, Eng.—died Jan. 2, 1917, Wellington, Somerset) British anthropologist, often called the founder of cultural anthropology. He taught at Oxford University (1884–1909), where he became the first professor of anthropology. His Primitive Culture, 2 vol. (1871), influenced by Charles Darwin, developed the theory of an evolutionary relationship between what he called primitive and modern cultures, stressing the cultural achievements that marked the progression of all humanity from a “savage” to a “civilized” state. At a time when there was still controversy over whether all human races belonged to a single species, Tylor was a powerful advocate of the unity of all humankind. He was instrumental in establishing anthropology as an academic discipline. See also animism; sociocultural evolution.